Metal Brainiac

Marty Friedman talks about his exit from Megadeth at the turn of the 21st Century, what it would take for him to reunite with the band and his surprising path to a life, career and stardom in Japan.

We talk with John Bush, one of the great voices of metal, about his early years and eventual return to Armored Saint, his artistic life in between Anthrax and about the later-life balance of a music career with responsibilities at home. Armored Saint, contemporaries of Metallica and Slayer in the early 1980s, recently released its first album in five years, "Win Hands Down."

Electronicore is among scores of heavy metal subgenres, and the New Jersey outfit Palisades is one of that styles rising stars. Vocalist Louis Miceli talks about the band's latest record, "Mind Games," the blending of disparate musical influences and the importance of family support in his quest to make a life in music.

Veil of Maya's new vocalist, Lukas Magyar, talks in depth about his audition and jumping right into the thick of the creative process for the band's fresh platter of heaviness, "Matriarch."

Five years ago, at the apex of their career, Christian metalcore band Haste the Day called it quits so members could stay close to home and focus on their family lives. But now they’re back with a new album, "Coward." Here, founding bassist Mike Murphy talks about what led to stopping and then restarting Haste the Day and how band members live their Christianity through the crunch of metal.

Every metal fan knows the name Mike Portnoy—legendary founding drummer of Dream Theater and Modern Drummer Magazine Hall of Famer. Following in his double-kick steps is his 16-year-old son, Max Portnoy, who, along with three other teen friends from Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley are the progressive metal band Next to None. Mike produced the band's debut album, "A Light in the Dark," and we talk with father and son about the disc and the musicianship behind it.

Ryan Wenzel of Tempel discusses the circumstances of evolving from a five-piece band with a vocalist into an all-instrumental duo. Tempel, from Phoenix, is about to release its second album of heavy, moody minimalism, "The Moon Lit Our Path" (Prosthetic Records).

More than 30 years ago, Metal Blade Records was among the best known independent labels focusing on metal. Label founder Brian Slagel built an early roster that included Slayer and King Diamond, and an under-the-radar San Jose, Calif., band called Warlord. Cast from the mold of Iron Maiden, Warlord won a hungry fanbase in Europe, but never found mainstream attention in the United States.

In this episode, Warlord two co-founders, guitarist Bill Tsamis and drummer Mark Zonder, discuss their divergent life paths and shared musical vision that has led them to continue producing and performing Warlord music long after metallic trends have passed them by.

The New Hampshire quartet Vattnet Viskar symbolizes a new generation of black metal artists—as apt to create music referencing emo and art rock as they are the traditional trappings of black metal. On the eve of releasing the band's second album, "Settler," founding vocalist/guitarist Nick Thornbury talks with Metal Brainiac host Matt Peiken about embracing and breaking beyond the standards of black metal.

While other musicians from northwest Washington have achieved far more fame, few, if any, can match the stamina and consistency of Buzz Osborne. His band, The Melvins, has recorded and toured for more than 30 years. In this interview, Osborne both embraces and eschews the constructs of metal, discusses his relationship with grunge and delivers his keys for a lasting career.